I´ve had my FZ18 for some months now and think that it is a rather good camera. But I would like to see what other people can do with it, so please post your best FZ18 pics here to show all how good this camera is. And if there are no posts I will get myself an dslr.

Some good shots here and I was interested why you were thinking of getting a dSLR rather than the FZ18, people have said you don't need one but don't think anyone has asked why and what you want to be able to do that the FZ18 doesn't. There are good reasons to get a dSLR however there are lots of things that you won't get any benefit in.

I use both a TZ-5 as well as 3 dSLR's. The TZ-5 goes with me most places and the dSLR's are for my pro/higher level/low light/high speed/top quality work. Obviously carrying2 large backpacks with the camera's/lenses/flashes etc is not convenient for a lot of situations and the TZ-5 slips in a pocket and costs less than a lens or flash unit.

If you want top quality in low light, higher shutter speeds, more dof control then you need to go dSLR, if you are just taking day to day shots for home use and don't need to get creative with certain settings then don't go dSLR. A dSLR will not make you a good photographer, however if you are moving along in your photography and want to learn more then adding a dSLR to the kit can really help.

I started this thread in the hopes of seeing very good FZ18 pictures. Mostly to convince myself that it is a really good camera, and that I won´t need a dslr, since a dslr is less flexible.

What I seek in a camera is very good "out of camera" pictures. I need low light capabilities since Sweden has six months of rather dark outdoors and we´re mostly indoors during winter (sounds like the north pole :-)).

I do take everyday pictures, mostly of my son and my roses and garden. But that doesn´t mean that I don´t want the best possible picture.

My experience so far with the FZ18 is that it oftencan takegood pics, and sometimes great pics, under very good conditions, but it still needs some sharpening..

My former Camera was a FZ7, and it actually took better pictures. Very crisp and sharp, and very good saturation! I loved that camera except for the low light performance. To my great sorrow the ccdin my FZ7now got a bad blue pixel in the middle.

I´ve already bought myself a dslr.. and returned it.., since the pictures out of it was not"soo much better" (excuse my swenglish)than from the FZ18 (during summertime).It was a Nikon D40, an older model with "only 6 mpix". I took about 50 similar photos with the D40 and the FZ18 and though the D40 gave better pics it wasn´t astounding. In low light the cameras was equal, mostly because I allways move/shake? a bit when Ipress the shutterI can really benefit from the stabilization that the Pana have. I´m thinking of the D60 with VR lens now.

To wrap it up. I really like my FZ18. I don´t want to swap lenses to get a good zoom capability, I don´t want dust on the ccd, and I don´t want to pay to much money for a camera...But..Since Pana aren´t likely to release a FZ60 with good low light performance (or bad) I have to check the dslr out.

In my future I see myself using a dslr for close, low light conditions, and my FZ 18 for vacations and summer pictures. (Just have to convince my wife that I need another camera, again..).

That answers my question well and don't worry about your English, mines not a lot better

I'm a Canon user however used to use Konica Minolta (now Sony). I made the switch as I needed higher performance (AF speed, high ISO) as well as a better lens selection as I was shooting sports for sale. I personally don't care if someone purchases a Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax etc...... as long as they get the tool that will allow them to get the best shot and enable them to improve in their hobby. I would honestly suggest looking at the Sony orPentaxranges as you canhave IS built into the body and now there are more lens options available than previously. Olympus also has some cameras with IS built in but for me I don't like the smaller sensors, but again that is a personal preference.

Going back to your suggestion of the Nikon D60 with the 18-200 VR, that is a well respected lens and one of the best wide zooms however there are other options from Sigma and Tamron (now I'm not an expert on these lenses as I've not had a chance to play with them so possibly someone else can jump in..... actually I would honestly suggest posting on the dSLR section with the lens question for the D60 so you can investigate that further).

I would point out that the Nikon does not work with all the Nikon mount lenses out there as there is no drive in the camera so for me this is a bit of a disadvantage so would rule it out for me, but if you are only looking at the one lens then you are fine. Also you might not find that lens fast enough (the aperture is quite narrow)to get the benefits of the low light capabilities of a dSLR, this is why you can easily spend a lot of money getting higher quality fast lenses (f2.8 and wider).

I think in closing I will say there is no one lens/one body solution that will do everything, all options area compromise.